Trance 29er or 26er?

Trying to decide between a Trance 29er or 26er. I ride fairly technical singletrack trails and fire roads. I do not race and like to keep my wheels on the ground. I am 5'9" and have always ridden 26ers, but the 29ers sound interesting. I currently ride a Scott Spark (26er) and find I do not like using the lock out feature and want to switch to Giant's maestro suspension for greater pedaling efficiency without the hassle of using a lockout feature.

Should I go with the Trance 29er or the 26er? I need every bit of help I can get with speed to keep up with my friends, so I wonder if the 29er would be the ticket. Unfortunately none of my area dealers stock the Trance 26er or plan to stock the 29er, so I will have to order whatever I decide without a chance to test ride. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

You may be better off with an Anthem X 29 with 4" of suspension. The trances both will be more agile but the Anthem X 29 is one hell of a bike. Whether 26 or 29 is more dependent on fit (inseam primarily) to match your preferred riding position regarding seat to bar height. J

I seriously considered selling my Trance X26 to get a TX29 but after reading reviews I think i will be keeping my 26er. Reason being is I am 5 7.8" and a Medium (which i normally ride) will be too long for me and a Small will be too small. I already own a Medium Anthem X 29er and find this quite a big bike but perfect for XC duties. My Trance X26 is my fun throw around bike (I put a 140mm fork on it) and i think the TX29 wouldnt be able to compete with how flickerable the bike is.

I seriously considered selling my Trance X26 to get a TX29 but after reading reviews I think i will be keeping my 26er. Reason being is I am 5 7.8" and a Medium (which i normally ride) will be too long for me and a Small will be too small. I already own a Medium Anthem X 29er and find this quite a big bike but perfect for XC duties. My Trance X26 is my fun throw around bike (I put a 140mm fork on it) and i think the TX29 wouldnt be able to compete with how flickerable the bike is.

So your Trance 26 is medium ? Just taking some interest as I just got a trance x 26 medium and am finding it perhaps slightly too big for me (i am 173cm with short legs). I committed the cardinal sin and didn't try different bikes enough before buying. I regret now not having tried a small. Couldn't find a place nearby that had one left.

What about another brand of 29er you could at least demo to see if you like the big wheel feel?

I had a 29er ht and got rid of it. My 26" trance x is WAY more fun to ride. I ride some single track that is tight and technical that you want the seat dropped, even though it isn't steep. My 29er was a PIG on those trails. I know ht vs FS... But still it had nothing on the TX in regards to tossin the bike around.

So your Trance 26 is medium ? Just taking some interest as I just got a trance x 26 medium and am finding it perhaps slightly too big for me (i am 173cm with short legs). I committed the cardinal sin and didn't try different bikes enough before buying. I regret now not having tried a small. Couldn't find a place nearby that had one left.

Try a 29er.. at least a demo.

I had a TranceX1 which I sold for a Niner RIP9 (similar geometry to the TX29). Both size XL. Maybe because I'm 6'3", but I just love the bigger wheels. Trance was more playful, popping off stuff and getting air but the RIP is more of a carver on the flowy stuff and better descending on the techie stuff. Just point it and it bombs it. The bigger wheels just work better on the rocks and ledges going up and down the trail. I have no doubt you'll be faster than your friends on the TX29.

I highly recommend a demo bike and pay particular attention to turning in the twisties.

I had a Trek 29er HT and turning was not fun. The bike was significantly faster on straights but corners were almost coming to a stop in parts. I found it very fragmenting experienence. Nowehere near as flowing as a 26er, particularly a well-sorted Trance. I feel the 29ers are probably a necessity for racing, but for recreactional trail riding, why would you go past 26 dually perfection?